Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

Dissipating

Rick, I think you'll agree that dissipate was Mel's favorite word, or at least in the top two. Dissipating, as in, were you f*cking dissipating this G-D D-mned weekend? Well, were you?

One weekend I went camping with some friends, well as things turned out we indulged in a little "Dissipation". That Monday I showed up at the gym, beat, tired and spent. I figured I would have an easy workout and head back home.

As it turns out Mel had me sparring with Chris Gonzalez, Chris is the brother of Zeffie Gonzalez, who went the distance with Roberto Duran. They were from Pico Rivera and went to the same high school as I did. I was in no condition to spar with anyone much less Chris, who liked to spar hard. Normally I wouldn't mind but it was a rough weekend.

Well after a couple of sluggish rounds Mel got me in the corner and said to me "What the hell's wrong with you? Sh-t, You were dissipating this weekend!" It was a statement not a question. "Well, I Uh.... "I Knew it!, what the f-cks wrong with you? Uh... "Get back in there and take your punishment" He seemed to take delight in sending me back in there. Especially since he had warned me about going camping. He was against anything that involved fun and/or dissipation.

I did take my punishment. Both from Chris and from Mel. When Mel was angry he could give you the cold shoulder. Rick should remember that. he was pretty good at getting Mel mad too.

Mel had another saying that I know Rick must have heard a thousand times from Mel. Maybe I shouldn't say it here but what the hell, we're all adults. Any conversation that had "dissipation in it also had: "A stiff d*ck has no conscience". Boy, was he ever right!

Dissipation, such a lovely word.

Randy

[Randyman]

An interesting interview with Irish Mickey Ward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9phemSXhnD0

Randy

[Expug]

Hey Guys keep our daughter Lori in your thoughts and prayers. She has been in the hospital since Friday. The doctors still haven't determined what is wrong with her. She is very weak and has a 103 degree temperature. We know she is going to be okay but a few extra prayers would be appreciated.

Thanks
Randy & Jeri

Lori is in my prayers Randy.
Shes tough like Dad and Mom. Shes gonna be fine.

[Expug]

Dissipating

Rick, I think you'll agree that dissipate was Mel's favorite word, or at least in the top two. Dissipating, as in, were you f*cking dissipating this G-D D-mned weekend? Well, were you?

One weekend I went camping with some friends, well as things turned out we indulged in a little "Dissipation". That Monday I showed up at the gym, beat, tired and spent. I figured I would have an easy workout and head back home.

As it turns out Mel had me sparring with Chris Gonzalez, Chris is the brother of Zeffie Gonzalez, who went the distance with Roberto Duran. They were from Pico Rivera and went to the same high school as I did. I was in no condition to spar with anyone much less Chris, who liked to spar hard. Normally I wouldn't mind but it was a rough weekend.

Well after a couple of sluggish rounds Mel got me in the corner and said to me "What the hell's wrong with you? Sh-t, You were dissipating this weekend!" It was a statement not a question. "Well, I Uh.... "I Knew it!, what the f-cks wrong with you? Uh... "Get back in there and take your punishment" He seemed to take delight in sending me back in there. Especially since he had warned me about going camping. He was against anything that involved fun and/or dissipation.

I did take my punishment. Both from Chris and from Mel. When Mel was angry he could give you the cold shoulder. Rick should remember that. he was pretty good at getting Mel mad too.

Mel had another saying that I know Rick must have heard a thousand times from Mel. Maybe I shouldn't say it here but what the hell, we're all adults. Any conversation that had "dissipation in it also had: "A stiff d*ck has no conscience". Boy, was he ever right!

Dissipation, such a lovely word.

Randy

Its a great word Randy.
Dissipation.
The first time I ever heard it was when reading about the great lightweight and alltime champion of wildmen Lew Jenkins.
Lew said his career would have been much better if not for his constant dissipation.

[kikibalt]

Went to visit my Tia Lala, (Age 90) who about two weeks ago suffer a mild stoke, you might remember that I posted a picture of her and her brother Max, my Tio, that I shot at the Simons reunion, she is now at a nursing home since she needs 24/7 care, said nursing home is in Montebello.

Frank
Still a beautifull and dignified lady. Rog

I agree. We will keep Tia Lala in prayer too Frank.

Thanks Randy, we're doing the same for your Lori....

[Expug]

Tia Lala will also be in the Higgins family prayers Frank.

[dagosd2000]

Rick, we were blessed and damned lucky to be growing up at a time when boxing was still part of the life force of the Los Angeles Sports scene. Luckier still to have been able to train at the fabled Main Street Gym, a gym that is now just a long gone memory. Most gyms have their local favorite fighters that make their gym their home. The Main Street Gym also had their local fighters but the names of the visiting fighters that made the Main Street Gym their home away from home reads like a roll call of boxing legends. Some of them stayed. It wasn't just the building, it was the people and the incredible knowledge and experience. Too many to list here.

I remember Rip well. Mel called him "Turtle" it was an apt nickname for Rip except a turtle moved a little faster. Rip didn't take any crap from anyone either. Pay your 50 cents to see the boxers or get the hell out.

I wrote about the gym awhile back here: http://boxing-ring.blogspot.com/2007/11 ... t-gym.html

Randy
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Gym . . .


Randy . . . great, great, great story! Harry Shapiro? Damn, I remember Harry.

What you wrote about your meeting with the great Robinson is classic, his advice . . .
"Think of your right as a catcher's mitt, and the other guy's fist a baseball."

That needs to be etched in capitol letters on the wall of every boxing gym.
And there was your added wisdom, "When the student is ready, the master shall appear."
It's a lesson we all seem to experience somewhere along the path.

You granted my wish. You took me back in time to the Main Street Gym.
I felt the afternoon breeze blowing thru the windows after Mel forced them open.
I pictured him shooting angry glances toward anyone opposed to the idea, mumbling under his breath, something about Oxygen?

Mel pays my gym dues early, before I have a chance, just to say that he "took care of it out of HIS cash register."
Then he'd refuse reimbursement, preferring something to bitch about.
Remember Mel talking about his, "cash register?"

I remember when I was twenty-two, I had an apartment in Santa Monica and bought a duplex nearby.
While awaiting escrow to close, I moved out of the apartment and moved into a spare room at my grandmother's home in Burbank.
I lived with my Grandmother for several weeks, she was Mel's age.
Randy, I have to tell you I was seeing both Mel and my Grandmother everyday, and Mel acted more like an old lady than my Grandma.

Reading this story made my day, you put a smile on my face. Thanks!


-Rick Farris

Randy and Rick

The days when you could experience moments like that in a boxing gym in San Diego are history. Once in a while the CREA gym in TJ has that excitement and richness. I wish I could have been with you guys in LA. That's about as good as it gets. Those times in the Main Street Gym could rival any stories about boxing in any time frame.

Another L.A. Gym . . .

Roger, during the years I boxed, L.A. had another busy gym on the southside, Jake Shagrue's "Hoover Street Gym".
Jackie McCoy's stable trained at Hoover St. Mando Ramos, Rojas, Palamino, El Gato, Frankie Crawford, Hedge Lewis, Joey Orbillo, Scrap Iron Johnson, Andy Heilman, Andy Price, many more.

Occasionally, I'd workout there to box with different people. Jake Shagrue was a charactor in his own right.
Jake was a Navy vet, I never saw him without stub of a cigar sticking out of his mouth.
He was a good guy, tough as nails.

I have a few Frankie Crawford-Shagrue memories.
Like when Jake had a led amputated, and I gave Crawford a ride to the Long Beach Naval Hospital, to visit his former manager.
Frankie is concerned that we'd find Jake laying in bed wallowing in self pity after losing the leg.
He instructs me to let him do all the talking, he knows Jake better than me, he'll know what to say. I say "no problem".

We get there and find Shagrue propped up in bed watching a Dodger game. He's puffing on a cigar despite a nurse's protest.
I follow Crawford in, he slips off to the side and I'm standing at the foot of the hospital bed looking right at Jake.
I wait a moment for Frankie to say something since he wanted to "do all the talking".
I look over to Crawford and he's kind of rocking back & forth on his heels, looking up at the ceiling, saying nothing.
I look back at the salty old trainer, a little pale, but his eyes were sharp and clear. "Hi Jake," I say.

The old man nods, "hello kid." He then shifts his look back to Crawford, who's really acting weird, even for him.
When Frankie looks over at Shagrue, the old man barks- "What in the Hell do you want?"
Crawford has a phony smile on his face . "Hi Jake. How you feeling

Shagrue shakes his head, "They just sawed off my f__king leg! How do you think I feel?"


-Rick Farris

Rick
that's a classic

[dagosd2000]

NO ACT

After the fighters would workout at the Coliseum,the wrestlers would come barrelling in. What I always remembered is that they liked to wear these Hawaiian shirts with the flowers all over and the collars opened wide.

I remember Freddie Blassie being a real prankster. One afternoon I showed up as the wrestlers were rehearsing their act for their weekend show. Mr. Moto used to wear a straw hat all the time ,I guess to hide his bald head.Blassie used to tease him all the time about his baldness. Thing is,I don't think Moto was really bald. He just shaved his head.

Well I didn't know it,but Blassie had filled Moto's hat with salt and pepper and when he put it on his head the spices went into his eyes and it must have burned hot as hell.

Unaware of what took place I'm watching Moto and Blassie go at it in the ring,but instead of the usual flips and flops these guys are tearing into each other.Everyone in the gym was watching. It struck me funny because these two were usually paired up as a tag team.

Well they start to draw blood and I turn to Gary Young ,an amateur fighter who I came down to have a few beers with,and remark that that was the most realistic act I'd seen between wrestlers. Gary fills me in on Blassie's joke he played on Mr. Moto and said to me it was no act. I said to Gary that somebody should go up there and break it up.
"You go in there if you want,"said Gary.
I looked at everyone witnessing this. It was interesting,if not entertaining.
"Well,I don't want to be the one to put a stop to this. Besides I don't think I could anything anyway."

[Expug]

It must have been a rough life for Mr Moto.
In Gene Lebells book, he talked about how Lou Thesz didnt like Moto too much.
Thesz was NOT a guy to be disliked by.
Every time he wrestled Moto, he worked him over pretty good.
Left him limping for a couple weeks. It might have been fake, but those holds hurt like hell if cranked a little bit.

[Rick Farris]

Dissipating

Rick, I think you'll agree that dissipate was Mel's favorite word, or at least in the top two. Dissipating, as in, were you f*cking dissipating this G-D D-mned weekend? Well, were you?

One weekend I went camping with some friends, well as things turned out we indulged in a little "Dissipation". That Monday I showed up at the gym, beat, tired and spent. I figured I would have an easy workout and head back home.

As it turns out Mel had me sparring with Chris Gonzalez, Chris is the brother of Zeffie Gonzalez, who went the distance with Roberto Duran. They were from Pico Rivera and went to the same high school as I did. I was in no condition to spar with anyone much less Chris, who liked to spar hard. Normally I wouldn't mind but it was a rough weekend.

Well after a couple of sluggish rounds Mel got me in the corner and said to me "What the hell's wrong with you? Sh-t, You were dissipating this weekend!" It was a statement not a question. "Well, I Uh.... "I Knew it!, what the f-cks wrong with you? Uh... "Get back in there and take your punishment" He seemed to take delight in sending me back in there. Especially since he had warned me about going camping. He was against anything that involved fun and/or dissipation.

I did take my punishment. Both from Chris and from Mel. When Mel was angry he could give you the cold shoulder. Rick should remember that. he was pretty good at getting Mel mad too.

Mel had another saying that I know Rick must have heard a thousand times from Mel. Maybe I shouldn't say it here but what the hell, we're all adults. Any conversation that had "dissipation in it also had: "A stiff d*ck has no conscience". Boy, was he ever right!

Dissipation, such a lovely word.

Randy

Randy . . .

The moment Mel met my girlfriend, Karla, he labeled me a dissipater.
He actually liked Karla and her family, and vice versa.
Mel was included in several of her family functions, Xmas & Thanksgiving, a track meet at the Forum in Bob Seagren's box.
We'd pick him up and take him to movies, dinner, etc.
Shortly after we married, we made the mistake of taking him to the "WRONG" movie.
"Blazing Saddles" was popular and we took Mel to watch it with us. There's a scene where everybody is sitting around the campfire farting.
Mel was livid that such a thing could be on screen. "Degenerate bastids . . . this is the Beatles fault, and that f__king Ed Sullivan!"
They knew Mel, and they enjoyed his offbeat personality and moods.
He was ALWAYS respected, and introduced in a fashion that would serve him proud.
If it were anything less, he'd have never brought you & I and Karl together in '76.

Mel Epstein had class and recognized class. I love him for everything he was to boxing, and to myself.


-Rick Farris

[dagosd2000]

It must have been a rough life for Mr Moto.
In Gene Lebells book, he talked about how Lou Thesz didnt like Moto too much.
Thesz was NOT a guy to be disliked by.
Every time he wrestled Moto, he worked him over pretty good.
Left him limping for a couple weeks. It might have been fake, but those holds hurt like hell if cranked a little bit.

Brian
Moto looked kind of doughy. Not real big and I don't think real athletic. Here's an interesting note. At first after the War,Moto was a "bad guy." He was that way when I started to watch wrestling. Then all of a sudden he's a "good guy" and everybody is chearng him

[raylawpc]

What a fight.
Your right Rick. No matter what the judges verdict was, the winner would be the fans.

Im thinking also, how many of the younger generation we see walking around these days would you like to have just sit down and read this thread word for word picture for picture page for page.
This thread could serve as a good educational tool for alot of youngsters who are getting a little....confused shall we say.
Next time I see a guy walking down the street with a cafe latte frapucino carmel machioto Al Pacino flavored cofee,Im gonna suggest the West Coast Thread.
In a few days he will be a new man. Ready to take on the world.
Plus, he will be drinking Folgers too.

Look, Mrs Olsen should be the threads ring card girl.
She even knows how to save an apparently shaky marriage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrGgg6r9YyI

Need I remind you guys that Mrs. Olson was a Swede?

Tom . . . speaking of Swedes, do you remember Inger Stevens?

A beautiful, but sadly flawed woman who took her own life.

[Expug]

Rog, its funny how they switch those guys back and forth from good guy to bad guy.
I like some of those old wrestlers who could really hook. They were rough customers.
Thesz, Karl Gotch, etc. But the stuff nowadays is ridiculous over the top.

[dagosd2000]

It must have been a rough life for Mr Moto.
In Gene Lebells book, he talked about how Lou Thesz didnt like Moto too much.
Thesz was NOT a guy to be disliked by.
Every time he wrestled Moto, he worked him over pretty good.
Left him limping for a couple weeks. It might have been fake, but those holds hurt like hell if cranked a little bit.

Brian
Moto looked kind of doughy. Not real big and I don't think real athletic. Here's an interesting note. At first after the War,Moto was a "bad guy." He was that way when I started to watch wrestling. Then all of a sudden he's a "good guy" and everybody is chearng him

A sidelight to the above comment. In the 50's when I arrived in San Diego with my parents, I didn't see any resentment towards the Japanese Americans. Maybe it was because they were in internment camps,but to my surprise the Japanese Americans who lived in San Diego got along quite well with everyone.

Maybe that's why they made Mr. Moto a "good guy."

[raylawpc]

Thanks guys for your prayers and goods words for Lori. Jeri talked with the doctor today. They are still unclear about what is wrong. They do know that it is an airborne virus(swine flu?) but they are not saying too much right now. I know they will take care of her. I'll keep you posted.

Randy

Thanks for the update, Randy. We continue to keep you and her in our prayers.

[dagosd2000]

Rog, its funny how they switch those guys back and forth from good guy to bad guy.
I like some of those old wrestlers who could really hook. They were rough customers.
Thesz, Karl Gotch, etc. But the stuff nowadays is ridiculous over the top.

Brian
Two guys that impressed me. Scary to boot. Killer Kowalski and Bruno Sammartino. I think Bruno's son wrestled out here,but I never saw Kowalski or Bruno Sr. You have anything on them?

[dagosd2000]

Tom
Didn't Inger Stevens carry a torch for Bing Crosby?

[Rick Farris]

Tom . . . speaking of Swedes, do you remember Inger Stevens?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A beautiful, but sadly flawed woman who took her own life.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yes, she was. I actually saw her when I was in high school.
My uncle was lighting a TV movie starring the actress and Burt Reynolds.
I remember he played an indian, and she his love interest.

I was in high school, and had just bought a '55 Ford pick-up.
My uncle wanted to see it, and I drove it to the Paramount Ranch facility in Calabasas, where he was working on the movie.
I watched them shoot a scene, was introduced to Stevens and Reynolds and left. I was 17, at the time.
Not long afterwards, she took her life.

In 1981, I had a chance to work with a legendary Swedish cinematographer, Academy Award winner, Sven Nyquist.
I'll write about this later, he was a very special talent. Ingmar Bergman, Liv Ullman. "Cries & Whispers".


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Tom
Didn't Inger Stevens carry a torch for Bing Crosby?

Yes, she did. She was upset when he married Kathy, his last wife.
She tried to off herself after that disappointment, and another time well.

She was also "secretly" married to a black guy, to avoid the negative publicity of the era.
No secrets in this town.

-Rick

[raylawpc]

Tom
Didn't Inger Stevens carry a torch for Bing Crosby?

Yes, they starred together in a 1957 film called, I think, Man on Fire, and they had an affair. She was married at the time to her agent - whose name I can't recall.

She was quite promiscuous, and was rumored to have engaged in a number of affairs Hollywood actors including Harry Belafonte, Burt Reynolds, and Anthony Quinn. She was married for a number of years to a black actor named Ike Jones (which they kept secret to protect her career).

After her death, we learned she was a very unhappy and insecure person. If I recall, she tried to commit suicide twice before she was finally successful in 1970.

I enjoyed watching her in the TV show Farmer's Daughter. She was in a hilarious movie called, A Guide for the Married Man, with Walter Matthau.

I take a lot of pride in my Swedish heritage, so I relish the accomplishments of Swedes like Ingemar Johansson - whom my brain tells me was an "average" heavyweight champion but is an ATG in my heart as Sweden's only heavyweight champion. I was also proud for the fame Inger Stevens had attained on the silver screen, and quite saddened when she took her own life.

[kikibalt]

Tia Lala will also be in the Higgins family prayers Frank.

Thanks Pug....

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx426LVIGCM
Mr Moto vs Henry Hank

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mPNEH2HSqc
Gorgeous George vs Lli Dipaolo

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qslUzh9oc6U
danny Mcshane vd Gino Garibaldi

Ring announcer is Dan Toby, who was Jimmy Lennon Sr's mentor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM6eU0b_MWQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAtD-FnAfjE

[kikibalt]

La Puente, Ca.